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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28144479">Thank God I'm Not You</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/fluffmonsterc3/pseuds/fluffmonsterc3'>fluffmonsterc3</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Stranger Things (TV 2016)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Bisexual Steve Harrington, Body Swap, Bottom Billy Hargrove, Emotional Constipation, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Gay Billy Hargrove, Internalized Homophobia, M/M, Referenced Emotional Abuse, Referenced Physical Abuse, Time Loop, Top Steve Harrington</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 16:09:13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Explicit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>11,113</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28144479</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/fluffmonsterc3/pseuds/fluffmonsterc3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Billy and Steve swap bodies, learning more about each other and themselves in the process.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Billy Hargrove/Steve Harrington</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>76</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Harringrove Holiday Exchange 2020</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Thank God I'm Not You</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/avalonlights/gifts">avalonlights</a>.</li>



    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This was written for the Harringrove Holiday Exchange 2020. I had such a blast with this one - can you tell with how a 6k turned into an 11k? Bahaha</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>-:-</p><p>Steve liked to think he was the kind of person who couldn’t be surprised easily. He’d seen the whole Nancy and Jonathan thing happening for weeks before it actually did. That time Dustin told Steve he thought Max was really pretty and cool, and he kind of wanted to punch Lucas in the chin for dating her first - yeah, Steve called that whole entire situation. He’d been good at reading people for a while. Came with the territory of being emotionally starved throughout an entire childhood. Steve knew what people wanted, sometimes even when they didn’t. The problem was that Steve seemed to have a serious problem with understanding what he wanted. But he didn’t like to think about that one. That road led to thoughts about his future and his impending familial argument about not wanting to work that internship next summer at the law firm his dad pulled some strings to set up. </p><p>No, the problem Steve would rather think about was more pertinent to the situation at hand. Namely, the fact that he was thirteen days deep into a body-swapped time loop with Billy fucking Hargrove and they weren’t much closer to figuring how to break it than four days ago. It had been a crash course in anger management and patience. Also, wait, what was that thing Billy just said?</p><p>“Come again?” Steve asked, swallowing another mouthful of whiskey they’d swiped from his dad’s office cabinet that’d been stashed behind a stack of tax files.</p><p>Billy shifted on the gravel, his sneakers crunching against them as he tucked his legs criss-cross under himself. The snick of his lighter sounded loud with how hard Steve was listening for his next words.</p><p>“Been holding back,” Billy muttered, inhaling deep and blowing the smoke out his nose just to feel the burn. The two streams plumed outward and up, curving over the lip of the quarry and fading fast in the morning light. He had one hand on the cigarette and the other tucked deep into his denim jacket pocket, insisting on wearing it despite the December chill. </p><p>Steve was glad to see he was at least wearing one of his mock turtleneck sweaters. It was thick and soft, something Steve had gotten from distant relatives last year. He couldn’t help but feel validated that Billy had listened to Steve for once and had dressed weather appropriate today, especially since Billy was walking around in Steve’s body and woke up each morning in his bed with access to his closet full of sweaters and long sleeved shirts and jackets; whereas, Steve was stuck waking up in Billy’s body and not having much other than jeans and layers of shirts. They’d taken to swapping jackets at school - the denim for something the wind didn’t cut through. Steve had to admit it was still very trippy to see Billy wearing his body with a cashmere black turtleneck under his ratty denim jacket. </p><p>To distract from the nervousness at Billy’s serious tone and keep his mind from running with what the other guy could possibly have hid from him the last two weeks, Steve turned to snark.</p><p>“So… that whole thing about Neil being an asswipe wasn’t deep enough for you? Why, Billy, I’m touched.” Steve smirked over the lip of the whiskey bottle at the guy next to him. “Seriously, I feel like a girl at her first sleepover. You need to be careful about spilling all of your secrets to me. I’m going to turn into a junkie once we finally get back to our own bodies, just bothering you nonstop for another fix.”</p><p>“Yeah, well, that’s kind of the point, dickhead.” Billy snapped, swiping the whiskey bottle from Steve’s cold hands and knocking it back for a couple solid gulps. “We need to break this loop, and the only thing that will work is figuring our shit out.”</p><p>“Okay, okay.” Steve took the whiskey back with a concerned frown. “Take it easy! Shit.” Licking his lips, Steve looked at Billy, watched how his fingers shook. “So. What have you been holding back?” </p><p>Billy stared out over the quarry and into the woods. The trees were bare, having dropped their leaves in mid-November before the cold front rolled in. Their branches seemed dark against the pale blue of the sky; the ground where the trunks sank into hard earth were dusted with a fine layer of frost that glistened in the sun. Everything was gray and blue and silver. </p><p>“The reason I fought with you in the first place.” Billy said, taking another drag from his cigarette and causing the end to flare up a bright orangey red that stood out starkly against everything else. </p><p>“Thought you just wanted my crown?” Steve hadn’t looked away from Billy, watching how his face pinched between his eyebrows, his eyes going tight at the edges. </p><p>“That was the goal, sure, but I mean.” The gravel shifted as Billy did, rocks crunching against each other. “The reason. The whole…” Billy waved the hand with the cigarette between his fingers. “Thought process behind it.” He shrugged, flicking his cig and taking another drag. “I’m not going to make this a whole thing, man. Just going to say it, because at this point I’m willing to confess anything to try and break us out of this goddamned loop.”</p><p>Steve’s eyebrows arched. He’d never seen Billy this nervous before.</p><p>“Sure, Billy. I’m on the same page. Whatever you’ve got to say, I can take it.” Steve grinned, nudging his shoulder into Billy’s. “Don’t forget I was friends with Tommy for years. Nothing you can say will ever insult me as much as that bastard has.”</p><p>Snorting, Billy tilted his head Steve’s way. “Don’t be so sure about that.”</p><p>Steve was never one to back down from a challenge. Most especially one from Billy. He smiled. Sharp. “One time when we were ten, Tommy said that I should just tell people I was an orphan instead of having parents who were on business trips all the time, because at least then kids at school would pity me instead of being jealous.”</p><p>“I like you.”</p><p>Blinking rapidly, Steve leaned back. “W-what?”</p><p>“I like you, Steve.” Billy said, breaking their eye contact to look back out to the trees, nudging the cig back between his lips for one last drag before putting it out in the gravel beside him. “That’s the reason why I was such an asshole to you. Sure, I wanted the crown, but it was only fun because it was you. Any other punk I would’ve just punched out and stolen his girlfriend the first week.”</p><p>Steve chuckled weakly. “Yeah, I don’t think Nancy would have gone along with that.” He felt like his brain was running on molasses instead of electricity. Or whatever the fuck brains ran on. “Wait. Hold on. You like me as in… You’re gay?”</p><p>Sighing, Billy uncrossed his legs and laid them out straight, leaning back on his hands behind him. “Yeah. Why? That a problem?”</p><p>Steve felt like his eyes were about to pop out of his head. “Whoa whoa whoa. What the fuck! You’re gay?”</p><p>Billy’s jaw visibly clenched. “Punching you out is starting to sound real good right now.”</p><p>“Yeah, okay. Just. I’m just trying to wrap my head around this.” Steve felt weird. Like all of the impressions he’d formed about Billy since he’d moved to town months ago were just tilted ninety degrees and looked completely different from this new angle. There was too much to think about. He didn’t know where to start. Probably with an apology. </p><p>Taking a long pull from the whiskey bottle, Steve grounded himself in the here and now. He and Billy were stuck in a time loop on the second-to-last day of school before winter break, they’d ditched school again to shoot the shit at their usual hangout spot at the quarry. One last brainstorm to try and figure out how to meet the conditions of the time loop and get back to normal. But Steve had to admit that he’d liked spending so much time with Billy, getting to know each other. He didn’t want to lose that. </p><p>“Okay, look.” Steve rubbed his eyes. “Thanks for, you know, for telling me. I’m straight-- um. So I just want to be friends. Because that’s been something I didn’t realize I was missing so much. Friends. And I really like being friends with you. Even after we break out of this fucked up loop situation, I mean. I’d like to stay friends.”</p><p>Billy huffed a laugh and smiled up at the sky, eyes closed.  “How many times did you say friends in that endless stream of words? Ten? Twenty?” He shook his head. “Don’t get all cagey on me. I’m not going to steal your virtue or anything.” Billy opened his eyes and tilted his head to look over at Steve. “That chick who put us in the wrong bodies and locked us into a time loop said we have to break it by not being at each other’s throats, so I figured some honestly about why I was at your throat in the first place might help. I’m not asking you to be my date to prom or some shit.”</p><p>“Well, damn. I’ll have to get rid of the matching boutonnieres then.” Steve snarked, trying not to pay attention to how dry his mouth felt while he looked at Billy. Well, looked at himself technically. It was still deeply weird even thirteen days later. Steve took another swig of whiskey, trying to pick through the bundle of emotions lodged in his throat. “So, uh. What, you just decided to pull my pigtails to get my attention or something?”</p><p>Billy scoffed. “Listen, Harrington. I’m not asking for anything. We can be friends or some shit after this, I don’t give a fuck. I’d just like to wake up in my own bed tomorrow morning.” He laid out on the ground, hands behind his head. Like it was summer instead of frigid winter, ignoring the dusting of frost that melted at bodily contact and soaked through their clothes.</p><p>The flippancy was doing something to Steve, but he couldn’t identify what it was exactly. Especially the use of his last name. Like from before they’d spilled their guts to each other. </p><p>“Yeah, okay. Sure.” Steve muttered, not quite certain of what else to say to that. “Well, uh. Good talk, I guess.”</p><p>Billy grunted. </p><p>The wind was cold, making the ground they were sitting on seem increasingly chilled. Steve only liked to come out here because no one bothered them. But he didn’t like staying for long periods in the winter. Especially when he was confused about how he felt about his newest friend - someone he’d formed a bond with over the last almost two weeks and possibly the person who knew the most about him, next to Tommy and Carol. </p><p>“I’m freezing my balls off. You wanna ditch school for the rest of the day and crash at my place? Maybe we’ll wake up in the right bodies, and it’ll be the last day of school tomorrow.” Steve said, standing up and adjusting his jacket. Billy’s wide shoulders and muscular forearms tended to fit oddly on his tall and lean fitted jackets, and Steve still wasn’t quite used to it. He held out a hand to Billy to help him up off the ground, but his hand was ignored. Like usual. This time it stung a little. But maybe it was because Steve was feeling off.</p><p>Billy stood, wiping the gravel off his jeans and swaggering over to the front door of the Camaro. They’d driven over in the same car, blasting Motley Crue the way there so Steve could play Wham! on the way back. They had a system. That’s why it was so jarring when Billy kept his tape of trash metal going. Turned it up, even. Rolled down the windows to where the wind whipped at Steve’s nose and cheeks, burning his eyes so badly he closed the passenger window himself. Billy was a masochist. Steve sulked and felt funny the whole way to casa Harrington. Steve didn’t so much mind the blaring drums and guitars and screams, but the lack of conversation gave him a chance to think. And in his experience, thinking was never good for Steve.  </p><p>-:-</p><p>The day had started off like any other. Steve woke up to the sound of his alarm clock in an empty house. His parents weren’t due to come home for their annual Christmas party until the 22nd, so Steve had been on his own for the last several months; he felt like he needed it after the bullshit in October. If he didn’t have to deal with any more Upside Down shit for the rest of his life, Steve would be a happy man. He got dressed. He went to school. He got in a fight with Billy in the hallway. He went home. Normal.</p><p>What wasn’t normal was the next day when Steve woke up to the sound of his alarm clock in an empty house. He went to get dressed. But his closet wasn’t where it usually was. Instead, there was a wall with a Motley Crue poster and a bench with weights. The bed was just a mattress on a frame. The cold air from outside was chilling the side of the room with the little window, and how the hell did Steve get in someone else’s house? He didn’t think he’d gotten wasted the night before. </p><p>He dug around in the closet for clues, finding jeans and muscle shirts and button-up shirts that gave him an inkling of whose room this was. But it was the worn denim jacket that really sold it. What the fuck was he doing in Billy Hargrove’s room? Then he heard the low mumbling of voices and the clank of a pan. The house wasn’t empty.</p><p>Steve looked down at himself. He was wearing boxers that were very much not his, and a white tank top that definitely was not his.</p><p>He rubbed his eyes. “What did I take last night?” He mumbled to himself, because he was definitely still on something. </p><p>His body looked tan, and he had way more muscle definition than he remembered having. Even if he’d been working harder on weight training after the second demogorgon attack, it wouldn’t suddenly all have next-day payoff. He put on some jeans - and holy shit they were tight - and tugged on a button-up shirt, shrugging on one of the few jackets in the closet. Steve opened the door, looking up and down the hall. </p><p>Max passed the room, holding her tennis shoes and yelling to her mom about cleaning out scuffs. She didn’t even spare Steve a second glance, which he found odd. But Steve was seriously needing to piss. He walked down the hall from where Max came from, seeing the bathroom in the next room over. </p><p>Shutting the door behind him, Steve relieved himself with a sigh, holding himself in one hand and rubbing his eyes with the other. He’d never been a morning person. It was kind of weird that he’d woken up in Billy’s house, but he wasn’t near the level of awake to begin to think about how that would have happened. </p><p>Steve got his answer as soon as he turned from tucking himself back in his tight jeans and flushing the toilet, stepping onto the shag rug in front of the sink and mirror and getting a look at his face. He startled so hard he dropped the soap, exclaiming with a surprised yelp at the sight of Billy’s face looking back at him.</p><p>“Whaaat the fuuuuck,” Steve whispered to himself, mesmerized to see Billy’s mouth move around the words. His voice wasn’t even his own. This body wasn’t his! Now that he knew that fact, everything else made sense - the width of his hands, the tan of his skin, the muscle definition, why he was in Billy Hargrove’s house in the first place. </p><p>Steve leaned towards the mirror and made faces, pulling his eyes wide and poking at his cheeks. </p><p>“Well this is uh… interesting.” Steve mused to himself, tilting his head down and to the left, up and to the right. He pulled his button-down shirt away from himself and looked down, flexing the abs he’d never quite been able to form himself in his real body. </p><p>“Lucky bastard.”</p><p>And then Steve thought to himself: Is Billy bigger than me? Despite the fact that Steve had already had his hand around it before, he hadn’t gotten a really good look. Popping open the button of his jeans, he unzipped and pulled himself out. It felt not as weighty in his hand like usual, since it was definitely shorter, but the girth kind of made up for it. </p><p>“Damn.” Steve shook his head and tucked himself away, not wanting to dwell on the thought of knowing what Billy’s dick looked like. </p><p>Opening the cabinets under the sink, Steve found some hair product and did what he could with Billy’s curls. They were more… opinionated… than Steve’s hair. Usually, Steve found that so long as he gave himself a blow out and some hair spray, he was good to go. Curls were another story. It was as if they would either look too greasy and held curl or they were wavy locks of frizz. After the second time washing product out of his hair, Steve ran some mouse through it with his fingers and called it a day. He knew that he had to drop Max off at school first before heading over to the high school, not wanting to make her skate over. That was one thing Steve would be infinitely better at than Billy: being a good older brother.</p><p>Wait. Shit. If Steve was in Billy’s body, did that mean Billy was in his? Now he really wanted to get to school. Get to the bottom of whatever was happening so he could fix it. Fast. </p><p>He didn’t linger in the house. Just left the bathroom to duck his head in the kitchen and ask Max if she was ready for school. She shoved a piece of toast in her mouth and grabbed her bag, and said “bye, love you” to her mother. Steve had a moment where he thought about whether he should as well, but figured his primary goal - at least until he and Billy could get this shit figured out - was trying to play as Billy-like as possible. </p><p>There was a slight hiccup where Steve didn’t know where the Camaro keys were, but apparently it wasn’t that unusual for Billy to toss them in various places, because his question was met by Max rolling her eyes and plucking them off a glass ashtray in the living room.  </p><p>Steve dropped Max off at the school, just barely biting his tongue to keep himself from wishing her a good day. </p><p>He instead settled with a, “don’t get in any trouble, ya little shit,” as she got out of the car. Which he liked to think was a very Billy thing to say. Hopefully enough to counter dropping her off at the sidewalk instead of making her skate on her board. She didn’t reply, so the jury was out.</p><p>Steve parked the Camaro in its usual space in the lot, anxiously looking out for his BMW. No sign of it just yet. Feeling jittery, Steve got out of the car and lit up a cigarette he found from a wrinkled pack in the cup holder, leaning up against the Camaro and watching the entrance to the lot like a hawk. He was less concerned with making it to first period than finding out if Billy was in his body. About ten minutes after the bell and five cigarettes, Steve saw his Beemer careen wildly into the lot and park with a squeal. </p><p>He tossed what was left of his cig onto the ground and made his way over to the Beemer, feeling a sense of relief at the sight of his car as well as the swell of anxiety and anticipation as he watched the driver side door swing open. And then saw himself step out. The other Steve did a double take as he saw him, mouth curving up into a Billy-like smirk as he closed the door and took a cigarette from behind his ear, lighting it up and breathing in deep as he watched Steve close the ten feet of distance between them. But maybe that was just Steve assuming the other Steve was Billy, and the smirk was just a smirk. Shit, what if Tommy is in his body? Wait. Oh fuck. What if aliens put him in Billy’s body and that other Steve was an alien?</p><p>Once he got close enough to touch the Beemer, Steve didn’t quite know what to say. He shuffled on his feet, hands tucked deep in his jacket pockets. Shit, Billy didn’t have the kinds of jackets that could stand Indiana winds in December. He was freezing his balls off.</p><p>“Hey,” he huffed out, breath forming a white puff of air.</p><p>The other Steve shook his head with a wry grin. “You look like a dweeb, Harrington.” He exhaled smoke and took another deep drag. </p><p>It was deeply unsettling to see himself carry himself so much like Billy. But he still wanted confirmation. </p><p>“Billy?” He asked, sotto voice because he felt a little bit like he was losing his mind.</p><p>The other Steve chuckled. “You’ve finally gotten a working brain, and this is how you’re using it? Yeah. It’s me, dipshit. You’re wearing my hot bod. Who else would be looking like your dumb ass?”</p><p>Steve shook his head, licking at his bottom teeth and thinking really hard of all the reasons why he shouldn’t punch Billy in the jaw. Namely, because he would be punching his own jaw. </p><p>“Yeah, okay, smartass.” Steve looked over to the school. The parking lot was empty. “Look. This is weird and not exactly a situation I would want to be stuck trying to figure out with you.” At the sight of Billy opening his mouth, Steve held up a hand. “I’m sure the feeling is mutual.” Billy shut his mouth with a sharp nod, bringing the cig back to his lips. </p><p>“I know this is probably the first weird Hawkins thing that you’ve had to deal with so far,” Steve continued. “But I’m an expert, and if I know anything it’s that whatever caused us to be in each other’s bodies is probably up to no good. We need to get to the bottom of this.”</p><p>Billy looked to the asphalt with a sound of contemplation, dropping his cig and grinding his heel onto it. “What for?”</p><p>“The fuck you mean ‘what for’?” Steve bit out. “This is a problem. We need to fix it.”</p><p>Looking up through his eyelashes, Billy smirked. “Nah, pretty boy. I think this is the opposite of a problem. I wake up looking like Steve motherfucking Harrington, and you think I’d want to switch back the first day?” Billy laughed, a sharp, irritating sound that had Steve ready to snarl. “I’m taking advantage of this opportunity, because I’m not a dumb shit.”</p><p>Billy walked around Steve, walking towards the school with a swagger that was distinctly him and looked unsettling in Steve’s body. “Later, Hargrove.”</p><p>Clenching his teeth and breathing in deep, Steve closed his eyes. Counted back from ten. He was the civilized one. He was not going to punch a car. He wasn’t.</p><p>-:-</p><p>After getting his busted knuckles wrapped in gauze from the nurse who wasn’t surprised at all to see Billy with bloody hands, Steve headed straight to Billy’s locker, hoping he could find something in there that might give him a clue of who did this. Someone with a vendetta probably. Against both of them most likely, but definitely Billy a little bit more - in Steve’s totally unbiased opinion. After all, Billy was the asshole; Steve liked to think he was pretty okay in comparison. </p><p>Billy’s locker was almost right across from Steve’s, so he had no problem finding it. The problem was that it was useless. He had his gym bag crumpled in the bottom and books stacked on the shelf. A nest of papers was on the top shelf, and Steve was annoyed to find that most of them were love letters. Or, maybe more like explicit proposition letters. Someone had even included a lacey thong. Making a face, Steve picked up the gym bag and went through it. Nothing but more disappointment, but this time with gym shorts. </p><p>At a loss, Steve closed the locker and looked at the crumpled-up schedule he’d luckily found in the bottom of Billy’s gym bag. He was in mystery solving mode, and that meant going through school as if he was Billy. </p><p>Class was a trip. Steve had never been on the receiving end of so many imploring looks from an English teacher before - almost like she was expecting Billy to save her from the silent apathy of fifteen juniors. All Steve could offer was an embarrassed shrug. School just wasn’t his bag. Plus, he was a little distracted by eyeing his classmates, waiting for some kind of glare or whisper to give him a hint as to who hated Billy’s guts enough to switch their bodies. He wouldn’t blame anyone for wanting to go after Billy, but where he was stuck was how he was involved. He could understand any kind of bitter feelings towards the guy who had, for all intents and purposes, become his rival.</p><p>After the beat down brawl of November, Steve had let off steam by figuring out the whole Upside Down situation with the kids. Let out his pent-up rage on the demo dogs. He had plenty more animosity directed towards Billy after that though. Nothing could distract him for too long from the pit that had formed in his stomach after the other guy had beat in his face – his third best feature after his hair and his dick. Though Steve did have to admit to himself that pit of anger that itched for vengeance also had something to do with associating the other guy with one of the worst nights of his life - Nancy pulling his heart out of his chest and eating it by calling their relationship bullshit and breaking up with him - but mostly it was the fact that Billy was the most obnoxious person Steve had ever met. They fought like cats and dogs, snapping at each other in the hallways and getting up in each other’s faces during their shared physical education class or at parties after school. </p><p>Really, the only time when they weren’t itching for an excuse to hit each other was during basketball games. They were a ruthless duo on the court. Steve had to admit he didn’t mind Billy so much when they had a common goal. Like the one time at the away game against the Crossville Jets. The game was close. But Steve was able to knock the ball out from a short pass, pivoted back the other way to dribble down half court and launch the ball at a familiar blond head who caught it for a fucking dunk right as the buzzer sounded. Steve was high off the win - it was hard fought; all the guys were sweating so much their shirts stuck to their backs - and he reacted without thinking. The whole team swarmed Billy, hugging and slapping him on the back, hooting and hollering. </p><p>Steve was caught up in it too, whooping and hugging Billy himself. He didn’t even think about how odd it was until the bus ride back to Hawkins, kept glancing over at Billy in the row over, wondering if in another universe they might have been friends as he watched the way the sun lit up the edges of Billy’s curls. Wondered if they would have ever had the chance to use their hands for high fives or consolatory slaps on the back instead of punches. If he would have been the one to make Billy throw his head back and laugh like that at some dumb joke he’d made instead of Tommy.</p><p>Steve didn’t want to think about it. Instead, he got through the day; more paranoid than usual, which made the day drag, but he didn’t know what else to do. He felt like he needed reinforcements, which meant talking to the smartest person he knew. It just took the last period to work up the courage to actually talk to her looking like Billy fucking Hargrove.</p><p>“Hey, Nance!” He called, jogging over to where she was talking to Jonathan in the parking lot.</p><p>Her head turned to his direction, mouth curved up with the hint of a smile, but as soon as she laid eyes on him it quickly shifted to a frown. All he could offer was a sheepish half smile, hands raised as a placating gesture. </p><p>“Yeah, I know I look like Billy right now.” He pressed a hand to his chest. “But I promise it’s Steve in here.” </p><p>Nancy rolled her eyes and hugged her books closer to herself. “Buzz off, Hargrove. I don’t know what kind of stunt you're trying to pull, but we aren’t amused.”</p><p>Steve nodded. “Yeah, I should have figured this wouldn’t be that easy. Uh.” He looked over to Jonathan. “Okay, I can prove it. I smashed your camera, back when I was pissed and worried that you were stalking after Nancy because you’d taken a picture of her from my backyard.”</p><p>“Tommy could have told you that.” Nancy laughed, a harsh sound. “Hell, Carol could have told you that. Just give it up. Whatever this is.”</p><p>Steve sighed, slumping his shoulders forward. He rubbed at his neck and looked around. “Okay, I can prove it that I’m Steve. Because this is important, and I need your help, Nance.” He leaned forward and whispered. “We’ve been dealing with Upside Down shit for the last couple years. Just recently dealt with some demo dogs and Will getting possessed.” He rose his eyebrows.</p><p>Jonathan’s mouth dropped open. “Holy shit.”</p><p>“How do you know that?” Nancy’s expression turned thunderous and she grabbed a fist full of his jacket. “Who the hell told you all that?”</p><p>“No one! I’m serious, Nancy - I’m Steve!” Steve implored, trying to convey how honest he was with his eyes. “I know because I was there. Listen, I need your help. I think someone or something did this. I’m in Billy’s body and he’s in mine, and I don’t know what to do to fix it.”</p><p>Nancy stared at him with assessing eyes, lips pursed. “Tell me something only Steve would know.”</p><p>Blinking, Steve wracked his brain, and couldn’t help but latch onto his first thought. He snorted and smirked a little. “Well uh, when we had sex your favorite position was riding me.”</p><p>He should have expected the slap to his cheek, but it was worth it when Nancy gasped and took a step back, breathing out a confused, “Steve?”</p><p>He nodded. “Yes! That’s what I’ve been saying.”</p><p>“What happened, man?” Jonathan asked, having believed him for a little longer than Nancy had. “You mentioned suspecting someone for doing this?”</p><p>Steve shrugged. “Well, I mean, it’s a guess. I think it was more of a punishment for Billy than me, because he’s an asshole and he hates me, but yeah. I think someone is responsible.” He gave a humorless chuckle. “At least, that’s what I’m hoping for, right? Because then it’s just finding who did it and getting them to undo it. I don’t want to think about this just being the next Hawkins weirdness that takes weeks to undo.”</p><p>Reaching back and giving Jonathan’s hand a squeeze - more for comforting herself than anything else - Nancy nodded with determination. “Okay, we’ll help figure this out and get you back, Steve. But it’s freezing.” She looked to Jonathan. “Talk at your place?”</p><p>Jonathan gave a little twist to his mouth. “Mom told me and Will to not come home until seven. I think she’s got a date.”</p><p>“We’ll go to mine then,” Nancy said. She walked around Jonathan’s car and got in the passenger side.</p><p>Steve and Jonathan stood there and just looked at each other.</p><p>“I think she’s in monster hunter mode,” Steve joked, fishing in his jacket for the keys to Billy’s Camaro. </p><p>Jonathan nodded with a smirk. “Yup.”</p><p>-:-</p><p>Steve followed Jonathan’s car out of the parking lot, but remembered that he needed to pick up Max from the Middle School just in time. He thanked the habit he had formed in picking up Dustin lately. He adjusted and turned left instead of following Jonathan’s car going right. Steve just hoped he’d be able to drop Max off somewhere before or something. He didn’t trust in his ability to act like Billy for longer than ten minutes in front of her.</p><p>He pulled up to the curb behind a silver van and rolled the passenger side window down to hail Max over from where she was chatting with Dustin and Lucas at the bike rack. </p><p>Max waved bye to them and got in the car.</p><p>“Seatbelt,” Steve said, almost on autopilot, as he pulled out of the line and around the silver van.</p><p>“Okay, who are you and what have you done with Billy?” Max asked, putting on her seatbelt.</p><p>Steve laughed with as much sarcasm as he could muster and turned the radio on, blasting the volume to levels he knew Billy preferred. He wasn’t about to drive like the maniac, but he could handle the headache-inducing noise Billy called “music” rather than fielding questions from Max. Once they got to the main part of town, Steve turned the volume down just enough so he could talk.</p><p>“I’ve got plans, squirt. Where am I dropping you off?” Steve hoped he captured the devil-may-care intonation.</p><p>Max sighed. “The arcade. How long do I have to stay there? The guys are going to be hanging out at Mike’s and I don’t want to miss it all.”</p><p>“What a coincidence,” Steve said, feeling a sense of relief as he took a hairpin turn to make his way to Nancy’s earlier than he’d expected. “Our plans are at the same place.” </p><p>He turned the music back up and pretended not to notice Max staring really hard at him the whole drive.</p><p>They turned into the Wheeler driveway and Steve parked behind Jonathan’s car, both he and Max going up to the door at the same time. But she got to the doorbell first, ringing it three times in quick succession.</p><p>“Hey, ease up,” Steve said, not wanting to be a nuisance. He knew that Nancy’s mom had been home all day taking care of Holly and tended to be at level 7 irritation at all times by the time the kids got home.</p><p>Max just turned to him with raised eyebrows. “Since when do you care?”</p><p>But Steve was saved by the door opening. It was Dustin, who was grinning wide at the sight of Max, but screwed his face up in bewildered confusion once he saw Steve. Well, saw Steve as Billy.</p><p>Pointing at him, Dustin asked Max, “What’s your psycho brother doing here?”</p><p>“Hey!” Steve took offense to that. </p><p>Max pushed past Dustin and muttered, “Got plans, apparently.”</p><p>Following her but glancing back at Steve like he was a crazy person, Dustin just shook his head and went back in the house. If Steve knew the kids, and he was fairly sure he did, he knew that they would be talking about how bizarre it was for Billy to be in the Wheeler house and would no doubt come up with at least three conspiracy theories.</p><p>Steve stepped inside and closed the door behind him, heading up the stairs to where he knew Nancy’s room was. Jonathan and Nancy were sitting at her desk, having what looked like a spirited discussion over a piece of paper. As he entered the room with a soft knock on the door, they stopped talking immediately and looked over at him. </p><p>Blinking and vaguely hesitant at the silence that felt heavy in the room, Steve asked, “So… I take it the brainstorming has been going well? You’ve already cracked it, and the situation is definitely easy to fix?”</p><p>Nancy shared a look with Jonathan. “Close the door, Steve.”</p><p>He did, frowning and not able to help it.</p><p>“That good, huh?” He joked, trying to ignore the sinking feeling in his chest.</p><p>“We’ve made a list of all the people who dislike Billy, dislike you, or dislike you both,” Nancy said, handing the paper over to him. “I’m sorry, Steve. But…” she shook her head. “Jonathan and I only hear the rumors. Every junior and senior have such fluctuating opinions about you both.”</p><p>“Depending on what you’re fighting about that week,” Jonathan pointed out. “Most people tend to take sides.”</p><p>Steve stared at the list and sighed. It was long. Way too long. “The curse of popularity.” He sat on the bed and rubbed at his forehead. “Sometimes people like you and sometimes they don’t, but everyone has an opinion.”</p><p>“Don’t be a baby, Steve.” Nancy sighed. “I think it’s possible to narrow it down, but it’s going to be up to you. Do you remember someone threatening you or Billy lately? Or someone who would be pissed enough to get vengeance?”</p><p>Shaking his head and staring down at the list, Steve answered, “No, not anyone I can remember. It’s been just a normal week of finals. Basketball is over, so I wouldn’t imagine it would be someone on a rival team or something.” </p><p>“Tommy?” Jonathan suggested.</p><p>“Might be pissed at me but not at Billy,” Steve shook his head.</p><p>“What about that kid Billy keeps shoving to the floor every time he goes to the water fountain?” Nancy piped in.</p><p>“He’s a freshman,” Steve deadpanned. “All the upperclassmen shove him.”</p><p>“Well I’m out,” Nancy sighed, holding her hands up.</p><p>Shaking his head, Jonathan commiserated, “Sorry, Steve. We just mind our own business. Not exactly tapped into the Hawkins High social scene.”</p><p>“That’s okay, guys,” Steve said with a resigned smile. “I think it might just have to be a waiting game.”</p><p>“Don’t worry, man,” Jonathan said with optimism. “If it was someone from school, I bet they’ll come forward with a villainous monologue within a couple days.” </p><p>Nancy lightly smacked Jonathan on the shoulder. “And in the meantime, we’ll be keeping an eye out. Ask around to see who might be acting weird or something.”</p><p>Steve felt really lucky. Sure he wasn’t dating Nancy anymore, but she and Jonathan were some of the best friends who genuinely cared about him that he’d ever had - and that really meant more in the long run. Speaking of friendships, Steve was starting to really miss the kids. But he was going to have to keep his head down, and keep to his rule of not talking to the kids about it. He didn’t want to risk the threat of being strapped down to a table in a lab somewhere and studied because too many people knew about the situation. </p><p>Steve ended up hanging out with Nancy and Jonathan, listening to a couple shitty records Jonathan had brought along, and then gathered up Max to drive back to the Hargrove house. </p><p>-:- </p><p>Thirteen days into the time loop, Billy and Steve were laying on their backs on the living room carpet. Exhausted. They’d gotten back to casa Harrington after the whole awkward conversation at the quarry, and Steve did what he could to try and distract. Fill the uncomfortable air between them. The Christmas tree – decorated in various hues of blue this year – was twinkling merrily in the corner. Steve had let the guys bring it in before the loop situation happened, but had taken on responsibility of decorating it himself. He’d long since abandoned the diagram from the magazine his mom had ordered the tree from, instead letting the tree sit in the corner undecorated for days out of frustration. </p><p>It proved useful once they’d gotten back to the house and Steve desperately looked around for something to fill the time – eyes landing on the sad tree in the corner. He and Billy hung lights and ornaments, draping tinsel over every branch, and teasingly bickering in a way that brought some degree of normalcy to the situation. </p><p>Afterwards, laying on the carpet with the couches pushed back to the walls so they could drink his dad’s good bourbon and starfish their limbs as much as they wanted while listening to records, Steve still felt like his skin was itching. Like he was shifting inside of himself in a way that he couldn’t understand or find a way to settle. </p><p>“Hey,” Steve said, nudging Billy’s elbow with his and sloshing his drink a little. “You remember the day we first switched?” Steve chuckled. “You were such a dick.”</p><p>“You’re just jealous because while you and the nerds were in problem-solving mode, I was throwing a rager in your mansion.” Billy snarked back, pouring more bourbon into his coffee mug. It was the biggest cup in the cabinet, and Steve didn’t think he’d be able to not associate it with Billy after how much the other guy had used it lately. “Best thing about this time loop shit is that I don’t have to worry about hangovers.”</p><p>Steve snorted. “And people call me the idiot.”</p><p>“Don’t worry your pretty head about me stealing your idiot crown, Stevie,” Billy said with a grin, ruffling Steve’s now blond curls. “I might be a better Steve Harrington than you, but I’ve still got my big, sexy brain. It’s a real burden in this hick town.”</p><p>Laughing from deep in his gut, because for some reason Steve really liked Billy’s shitty sense of humor. “You’re such a dick.”</p><p>Billy chuckled and met his gaze. “Don’t pretend like you don’t like it.”</p><p>Looking back at Billy, staring into his own brown eyes but able to see Billy’s reflection in them, Steve smirked. “Yeah, sure. I’ll admit it.” He rolled his eyes. “You being a dick is one of the main reasons I’m your friend.”</p><p>“Damn straight.” Billy nodded emphatically and clicked his mug against Steve’s, leaning up just far enough to take a sip.</p><p>Steve took a sip too, leaning up on the carpet and falling back inside his head. He really had gotten used to the casual thing he and Billy had going lately. It was familiar. And fun. A small part of him, a very small secret part of him, thought about how he was going to miss this. Living in a small bubble of the same day with Billy in a way that no one else could touch. And that was the thought that scared Steve the most. </p><p>“I’m getting whiskey,” Billy said, grunting as he got up off the carpet and headed over to Steve’s dad’s office for the good booze. Steve couldn’t help but watch him, turning his head to where Billy walking away just looked like a sideways Steve drifting further and further away from him. Like he was losing a version of himself he’d grown comfortable with. But the version he was finding that he had grown into throughout this experience – the version of Steve he was now – was someone he would rather be. </p><p>Someone who was attracted to Billy fucking Hargrove. And not in a way that was limited to his blond curls, button nose, oceanic eyes, and abs for days. No, Steve was attracted to Billy in a way that made him want to keep him.</p><p>-:-</p><p>Day five into the body swap, Steve and Billy had come to grips with the fact that they were in a time loop. Steve had all but given up on explaining the situation over and over again to Nancy and Jonathan, and the one time he’d tried to bring the kids in on it. That was a total disaster. They’d all ended up skipping school and talked conspiracy theories for nine hours. Needless to say, Steve was exhausted in all the ways a person could be. </p><p>That was probably why he’d done what he did. </p><p>“Whoa, what the fuck, Hargrove!” Billy snarled at him, wrenching at his arm to get it out of Steve’s grip. </p><p>“Come on, Harrington!” Steve said, pulling him along and for once grateful that Billy could bench press more than he could. </p><p>He was able to drag Billy into the nearest empty classroom and lock the door, rounding on him and holding out his hands in a consoling gesture.</p><p>“Billy, listen. I’m so tired of living the same day. If I have to listen to your English teacher talk about Beowulf one more fucking time I’m going to lose it.” Steve whined, pacing the floor and trying to sound as pitiful as possible. “Please, please can we work together to figure this shit out? Aren’t you tired of having the same conversations over and over again?”</p><p>Sighing, Billy regarded Steve with a tilted head. “Okay, maybe I’m a little tired of having the same party and talking to the same people about the same things. So what.” He sat on the teacher’s desk. “It’s not like we can do anything about it. This is probably some freaky dream or something. It’ll stop eventually.”</p><p>Scoffing, Steve shook his head. “Look, Billy, you’re still pretty new to Hawkins, but I promise you weird shit like this happens a lot. And it’s always something that you have to get very involved with in order to fix.” </p><p>“Yeah, you mentioned something like that a couple days ago.” Billy made a considering noise. “What kind of weird stuff have you been getting up to, Harrington?” He got a glint in his eye then, something intrigued and warm with something Steve couldn’t exactly identify. Billy pushed off the desk and stalked towards Steve with a smirk. “Anything kinky?”</p><p>Steve snorted and squared up, rolled his eyes. “Not exactly. Try freaky – like demon dogs and possession.” Billy’s expression shuttered at that and his smirk turned into a frown. Waving a hand, Steve said, “Nevermind that. The point is- I think we need to work together in order to figure out how this happened in the first place.”</p><p>Then the door burst open and a girl Steve vaguely recognized bellowed at them both, “You! Assholes. Get your shit together! I’m so tired of these loops.”</p><p>“Who the fuck are you?” Billy asked.</p><p>And then the bell for second period rang.</p><p>-:-</p><p>“So let me get this straight,” Steve said, pursing his lips and regarding the girl in front of him. They’d made introductions in the classroom and then had to move outside to the bleachers since the bell rang. This conversation was one they didn’t want others overhearing – it wouldn’t matter in the long run, but they didn’t want to bother with interruptions. “You’re number nine-“</p><p>“Micah,” the girl sighed, tucking her black hair behind an ear.</p><p>“Micah,” Steve corrected. “And you have the power to switch bodies.”</p><p>“Right.”</p><p>“But we’re not just in different bodies though,” Billy huffed, smoking off to the side of where Steve and Micah were seated. He looked like a ruffled cat, all prickly. Steve wasn’t sure when he had gotten so good at reading Billy’s body language. “In case you didn’t notice,” he sharply gestured to the world around them. “It’s been the same fuckin day for five days.”</p><p>“No shit,” Micah snapped. “Look, I haven’t practiced my powers in a long time, okay? Like not since I was a kid in the labs and before one of the scientists busted me out and adopted me. I’m out of practice.” </p><p>“Out of practice,” Billy chuckled, looking off to the side and twitching like he wanted to punch something. </p><p>Steve got the impression that Billy hadn’t actually been as calm about the situation as he had tried to appear over the last few days. Now that he had a person to blame for it, his claws were coming out. He tried not to think about how Billy sharing his frustration with the whole thing made something warm squirm in his stomach. Something like camaraderie, but he wasn’t about to admit to being pleased at the idea of being on the same page as his rival. Surely it was just the thrill of being right. </p><p>Trying to steer the conversation back to being productive, Steve cleared his throat and said, “What does that mean, exactly? Was the time loop an accident?”</p><p>Micah sighed. “Pretty much. I think it was because I was so stressed about my last final, maybe there was some kind of physics bending overlap with time and space or whatever.” </p><p>“Or whatever?” Billy scoffed. “You’re taking this awfully light, aren’t you?”</p><p>“Micah,” Steve cut in, shifting so that he was partially blocking Billy, because he was being the opposite of helpful. “So that’s what probably happened – you used your powers to switch our bodies, and you were so focused on your final exams that you created a time loop.” He spread his hands out consideringly. “Okay, so let’s say that’s what happened. How do we fix it?”</p><p>Shrugging, Micah breathed out steadily and answered, “Well, typically with body switches you just have to meet the conditions of the switch. I used my powers for the first time in eight years because you two idiots were irritating – always fighting in the halls and starting crap in the cafeteria. I tried to escape to the library and there you two were – arguing at full volume over who got to check out a reference book for class. Do you have any idea how hard it is to study for finals when two meat heads are going at it the entire school day?”</p><p>That actually surprised Steve a little bit. They didn’t fight that much, did they? </p><p>“What’s your point?” Billy asked sharply, breathing in his last drag of cigarette and dropping it to the ground, grinding it out with his heel. Steve watched him breathe the smoke out.</p><p>“My point is that this is all your fault!” Micah snapped.</p><p>“The fuck it is,” Billy snarled, pointing at her face. “You’re the one with the freaky powers who decided to switch our bodies and then put us all in a time loop.”</p><p>“Let’s all calm down,” Steve consoled. “I don’t give a shit about who did what and why. I just want to fix this. Okay? Can we focus, please?”</p><p>Micah sighed. “Okay, fine. At first I liked the extra time I had to study, but now I just want to get the test over with. Since the time loop happened as an accident and at the same time as the body swap, I’m pretty sure it’ll all go back if you guys just meet the condition of the body swap.”</p><p>“Which is?” Billy and Steve asked at the same time, different tones.</p><p>“Stop being at each other’s throats,” Micah drolled. “Stop fighting. Stop –“ she gestured between them, “Doing this whole animosity at all times thing.”</p><p>“What does that mean, exactly?” Steve asked. “Could we just ignore each other? Because we did that for like four days straight and nothing has changed.”</p><p>Micah rolled her eyes. “Oh my god. Look, you guys need to work out your shit. Okay? I don’t know what exactly it is you need to work out. But you’ve got some beef with each other that’s causing you to be so hyper focused on being rivals or whatever the shit you call it. Be friends. Be boyfriends. I don’t care. Just work it out!”</p><p>And with that, she stood up from the bleachers and walked away. </p><p>“Whoa, whoa, wait!” Steve exclaimed, standing himself and calling after her. “What do you mean ‘boyfriends’?”</p><p>Micah turned around to walk backwards, yelling, “Figure it out!” And then she flipped them off.</p><p>“Bitch,” Billy huffed, nudging another cigarette between his lips and cupping a hand around the end so he could light up with the other. “Come on,” he said, kicking at Steve’s shoe with his and turning to walk towards the parking lot.</p><p>Steve felt like his brain was in a downward spiral. The fuck did she mean ‘boyfriends’? Did Steve seem like he was gay? He was straight. He’d slept with so many girls in his grade and even some juniors. Since when was it gay to fight with a dude you thought was an asshole? </p><p>“Yo, Harrington,” Billy said, snapping his fingers close to Steve’s face. “I said come on. Give me my keys.”</p><p>Blinking, Steve dug into his tight jeans and fished out the keys to the Camaro. He followed Billy to the parking lot and got in the passenger side. All the while, his brain ran in circles trying to make sense of what the hell he had to work out with Billy. Had he ever actually told him how much Steve found him obnoxious? He’d definitely insulted him numerous times. But had he actually talked to him about it?</p><p>Billy drove like a maniac, as usual, and blasted a mix tape that he dug out from under the front seat. Although the wailing guitars and thumping drums would definitely give Steve a headache, he was grateful for music that he hadn’t already listened to. If he could never listen to Motley Crue again, Steve would die a happy man. They drove to the diner across the street from the arcade, Billy parking in the lot and going inside. Steve followed him, sitting down at a booth, still deep in spiraling thought about what all Micah could mean. He had to admit, there were a lot of conversations he’d never had with Billy before. </p><p>Steve didn’t snap out of it until the waitress set a chocolate milkshake in front of him. He looked up to see Billy eating a cherry milkshake and staring at him.</p><p>“You good now?” He asked, eyebrows arched.</p><p>Shaking his head, Steve played with his spoon. “Yeah, I guess.” He shifted forward in his seat. “Do you think she had a point? I mean, I’ve been thinking about this, and like... when have we ever had a conversation to work out our shit? I mean, do we actually fight that much?”</p><p>Chewing on a cherry, Billy shrugged. “Beats me. What kind of shit would we even need to work out? You think I’m an asshole, I think you’re an asshole. Pretty straightforward to me.” </p><p>“Well, yeah, but I mean.” Steve slurped at his milkshake. “We don’t really talk much about it. I think she had something there.” </p><p>“Talk about what?” Billy snorted, stirring his milkshake with a spoon and picking out the cherries so he could eat them first.</p><p>“Why we fight all the time,” he answered, looking down at his milkshake. “How come you took us to get milkshakes?”</p><p>Billy shrugged and ate another spoonful of cherry. “I was hungry.”</p><p>Licking the chocolate from his spoon, Steve just stared at Billy, who was studiously avoiding his gaze and looking squirmy. “Hungry, huh.”</p><p>“What?” Billy snapped, “Is it a crime or something?”</p><p>“I don’t think we’ve ever sat down at the same table and eaten food,” Steve mused, slurping more of his milkshake. “How did you know I liked chocolate?”</p><p>“Everyone likes chocolate,” Billy huffed, back to avoiding his gaze and having what looked like a blush spread across his cheeks.</p><p>Steve wasn’t surprised that a guy like Billy didn’t want people to know he paid attention to things. What he was surprised by was how much Steve wanted to find out more about Billy. Looking from Billy over to the Camaro, Steve said, “I’ve got an idea.” He flagged down the waitress. “Hey, can we get the rest of these to go?”</p><p>-:-</p><p>Steve had let Billy drive, telling him to just pick a road and go. They’d been driving for about an hour at that point, discarded milkshake cups empty in the cup holders. Steve liked talking in cars. Maybe it was because he and Tommy and Carol used to go cruising when they were freshmen and sophomores. There was something comfortable about facing one direction and just shooting the shit.</p><p>They talked about basketball first – since they both enjoyed the sport and knew the guys on the team. And then they talked professional teams, who they rooted for and who they thought was going to win. They talked about football and baseball, and then before Steve knew it they were talking about family. </p><p>“I’d always wanted a sibling, you know,” Steve sighed, breath being buffeted away by the chill wind cutting in from the cracked window. “Someone to complain to about mom and dad with, someone to keep me company in that big empty house. It used to be fine, back when I didn’t mind parties. People would make noise and hang around so it wasn’t so lonely.” He huffed a bitter laugh. “My parents are gone a lot. Dad is a lawyer and mom is an art dealer, so they travel around and I mostly see them during holidays.”</p><p>“Sounds like freedom, Harrington.” Billy said. “I’d kill for that. Hell, that’s probably my favorite part of this whole thing – getting to live in that big empty house of yours. No one to tell you to do shit.”</p><p>“Yeah, well,” Steve muttered, shivering and rolling the window back up. “Greener grass, I guess. Freedom seems less free when you’re twelve and you cut your knee open and your mom isn’t there.”</p><p>Billy glanced over at Steve, then returned his gaze to the road. “My mom left when I was eight.”</p><p>“Fuck. Really?” Steve asked, turning in his seat so he was looking at Billy. “I didn’t know that. I always assumed she’d died.”</p><p>“No,” Billy said lowly. “I know firsthand what it’s like to feel abandoned.” His hands were gripping the wheel so hard Steve could see his knuckles turn white. </p><p>They drove until the sun went down, sharing stories from their childhoods and getting more personal than Steve had with anyone since he’d been best friends with Tommy. Billy told Steve about how his dad hit him when he was mad or wanted to correct some behavior of his. Steve told Billy about how he was so terrified of people leaving that he would do anything to keep them. They parked at the quarry, throwing rocks down and smoking until almost midnight.</p><p>But the next day, they were still in the wrong bodies. </p><p>They repeated that pattern, determined to work out all of their pent up shit, taking long drives and breaking down why they had such a hairpin trigger when it came to each other. Billy told Steve how much he hated how he was a stuck up prick, how jealous he was of Steve’s ease through life. Steve told Billy how much he hated how he was an obnoxious douchebag who had managed to use his charisma to turn his classmates and old best friends against him, how jealous he was of Billy’s ease through life. They both got drunk on the roof of the BMW commiserating how jealous they’d been of each other. </p><p>Not talking about how much they wanted to kiss under the stars.</p><p>-:-</p><p>On day thirteen, Billy came back from Steve’s dad’s office with the good whiskey. But Steve wasn’t on the carpet anymore. He was standing and putting a new record into the player. </p><p>Billy held up the bottle and shook it. “Got the whiskey. You wanna do shots or what?”</p><p>“I’d rather do this,” Steve said, setting the needle down onto the record and filling the room with the sound of a jazz band and a crooning voice.</p><p>“Do what?” Billy chuckled. “Listen to dweeby shit?”</p><p>Steve stepped back over the carpet and held out his hand to Billy. “Would you like to dance, Billiard Hargrovington?”</p><p>Peering at him curiously, like he was unsure if Steve was going to make fun of him or something, Billy sat the whiskey down on the nearest end table and reached out a tentative hand to meet Steve’s. Instead of mocking Billy, Steve pulled him close, holding his hand aloft and wrapping his other arm around his waist, starting a rhythmic sway. </p><p>“What are you doing, Steve?” Billy asked softly, eyes gazing determinedly over Steve’s shoulder at the wall.</p><p>“Earlier you said that you’d been holding back,” Steve said, licking his lips and looking into Billy’s eyes. “I know that we both want to break this time loop and get back in our own bodies, but I like to think that there’s something else we can get out of this.”</p><p>Billy’s gaze snapped over to lock onto Steve’s, eyes widening the slightest bit only to harden somewhere inside. Like he was mentally setting up some kind of guard. </p><p>Squeezing his hand, Steve whispered. “I’ve been holding back too.”</p><p>The music swelled, and Steve twirled Billy into a smooth dip. </p><p>“I like you, Billy Hargrove.” Steve smiled, a soft and kind thing. “I’d kiss you, but I think it’d feel like kissing myself.”</p><p>Billy huffed a disbelieving laugh, pursing his lips tight and blinking rapidly as his eyes teared up. “Careful, Casanova. You spew any more of that cheesy romantic shit, and I’ll get like a junkie. Come to you even after we switch bodies back just for another fix.”</p><p>Not able to help himself at the callback and loving Billy’s attention to his words, Steve pulled Billy up and leaned down to press their foreheads together. “Oh I’ve got more where that came from. As soon as we switch bodies back, I’m going to whisper every cheesy romantic line I know right into your mouth, just to piss you off.”</p><p>Chuckling in a way that was half between a hiccup and a sob, Billy whispered, “You’re a sap.”</p><p>“Shut up. You love it,” Steve said.</p><p>Billy sighed shakily, “Yeah. Fuck me, but I do.”</p><p>-:-</p><p>Christmas morning came bright and early. Steve and Billy awoke in each other’s arms, cuddling in close and trying to keep their body heat within the pocket of their sheets. </p><p>They’d been living at casa Harrington ever since they broke the time loop on day 14, finished up their final exams, and then Steve asked Billy if he’d want to crash at his place since his parents had bailed on Christmas that year. Something about a snowstorm in the Netherlands. Steve was actually pretty messed up about it, but having Billy over was like a balm to burns. His ulterior motive was wanting Billy to never see his deadbeat of a father ever again, but that was the long term plan he was going to keep to himself for now.</p><p>Billy sighed and hugged him tighter, his arm resting over Steve’s bare torso. They’d taken to sleeping naked lately, not wanting to bother with clothes in their holiday sexathon. Billy had joked that it was Steve’s Christmas present, but honestly Steve didn’t mind. </p><p>“Morning,” Steve sighed, kissing Billy on the forehead.</p><p>Groaning and kissing Steve on the shoulder, Billy flopped over on his back and stretched. Steve stared at him unabashedly, taking pride in the sprinkle of hickies all over his boyfriend. </p><p>“Morning,” Billy sighed in return, turning his head to grin over at Steve. “You know what today is?”</p><p>Steve scrunched his face up and pretended to think really hard. “New Years?”</p><p>Slinging his leg over Steve’s, Billy rolled over and up, straddling his boyfriend and smirking. “Nope. Try again.” He used his hands to rub up Steve’s torso, belly to ribs to chest, and down his arms.</p><p>“Hmm.” Steve considered, feeling himself start to harden against Billy’s thigh. “Saint Patrick’s Day?”</p><p>Billy nosed at Steve’s jawline, licking at his neck and kissing down to his collarbone, breathing against him, “One more try.”</p><p>“What’s my reward if I get it right?” Steve asked, using his hands to grip at the meat of Billy’s ass and squeeze, causing his boyfriend to moan against his neck.</p><p>“What’s your guess?” Billy said evasively, grinding down on Steve’s dick so slowly it was going to drive him crazy.</p><p>Steve gasped, “Christmas! Xmas! Boxing Day! Whatever the fuck.”</p><p>Chuckling, Billy kissed Steve deep, and whispered against his lips, “Got it in three.” Then he rolled off him and got on his knees. “Now get on me.”</p><p>Using his fingers, Steve stretched into Billy’s warm hole, still wet from just three hours ago. He grabbed the tube of lube anyway, slicking himself up and sinking into Billy slow, savoring the way his walls pulled and squeezed at his dick even at whatever round they were on. </p><p>“Love your ass, Billy,” Steve moaned, captivated by the sight of his dick stretching Billy wide, taking his dick so well despite its length.</p><p>“Tell that to my ass,” Billy snarked, panting into the sheets. He got so worked up by Steve’s dick that he was shaking and leaking cum onto the bed even though Steve hadn’t started moving. </p><p>So Steve moved, thrusting into Billy and telling him how much he loved him. But Billy was too distracted to really register what he was saying, caught up in the feeling of Steve's wide cock pistoning in and out of his already sensitive hole. His hands fisted into the sheets, as he groaned loud and long at the feeling of Steve’s strong hands gripping his hips and tilting him to hit at an angle that was just right.</p><p>"Ah, fuck," Billy hissed. "There, Steve, oh god."</p><p>Steve chuckled and fucked Billy deep, grinding down after a particularly hard thrust and delighting in the rumbling groan his boyfriend let out in response. "You like that, babe?"</p><p>"Is it - oh fuck - not obvious?" Billy grunted, pushing back and rotating his hips slow. "Yeah I like it. I love your dick, Steve."</p><p>That was what did it for Steve, with a choked out "oh shit", Steve's hips stuttered as he came, grinding deep and reaching around Billy's hip to get a hand around his dick, pumping him hard and quick. </p><p>Billy cried out and came, both of them collapsing and rolling over. </p><p>Steve laughed breathily, turning his head and kissing Billy on the cheek. "Merry Christmas, babe."</p><p>It was, hands down, the best Christmas of Steve’s entire life.</p>
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